


The Tale of the Wolf and the Lark

by mayatheyellowbee



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Caring Jaskier | Dandelion, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25036603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayatheyellowbee/pseuds/mayatheyellowbee
Summary: Geralt asks Jaskier for a bedtime story.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	The Tale of the Wolf and the Lark

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally posting this after days of wondering if I should do it. I had this idea very early when I was writing my first fanfiction for the fandom but it is so far from what I usually write that I didn't really think about it more than that. Turns out the idea came back to me in the middle of the night a few weeks ago and wouldn't let me sleep as long as I hadn't finished it. I tried to edit it as much as I could once it was done but it didn't want to be changed, so... here it is.
> 
> I have no clue about the right tags for this, so if you want me to add a particular tag don't hesitate to tell me. Enjoy!

\- Tell me a story, bard.

Jaskier huffs a tired laugh, tightening his grip on the Witcher in his arms. The stars reflect in the half-closed golden eyes, sticky wetness cooling and drying between them.

\- The great Geralt of Rivia, asking for a bedtime story. Who would have thought.

\- I won't ask again.

\- Okay.

The bard takes a deep lungful of air, searching for inspiration, easily entering his role of storyteller. His voice grows naturally deeper, steadier, even though he still speaks quietly, intimately, just for the both of them and the moon above.

\- Once upon a time there was a lark. It had a beautiful singing voice, and it flew from branch to branch, never settling anywhere as it grew bored everytime it stayed in the same tree for too long. The other animals loved its singing, and found it pretty and funny and very entertaining, but they, also, grew bored of the bird after a little while. So it kept jumping, from the oak tree to the birch tree to the ash tree, singing and singing all the time. It wished secretly to build a nest somewhere, but it had just not found the right place yet. And it wanted to see the whole world before, to sing under every constellation, to feel the wind under its wings. So it traveled, and sang, and flew. And one day, it met a wolf. A big, white wolf, that all the other animals were scared of, because its eyes were too yellow, its teeth too sharp, and it growled all the time.

\- Jaskier.

\- Yes, my love?

\- I know what you're doing.

\- Is that so?

\- Your metaphors have never been subtle.

\- It's not a metaphor, it's an analogy.

\- Well, your analogies suck too.

\- Do you want the story or not?

\- Hmm.

\- So. The bird saw the very grumpy and very rude wolf, and it only saw how lonely it was, how miserable. So it flew over, perching itself on the wolf's shoulder, singing into its ears. And the wolf snarled and bit and shook its whole body to try and dislodge the lark, but it refused to leave. After a while, the wolf stopped fighting, thinking the bird would get bored and leave by itself. It didn't. It stayed, and kept singing. They traveled together, and saw the world. The bird had already seen a lot of it before, and the wolf even more, but they had never had a friend by their side. The wolf had been alone for so long, but the bird, too, realized how lonely it had been before they had met. Things weren't always easy, for the bird and the wolf were two very different animals, and they fought often, usually for very stupid things, like who had read the directions wrong and gotten them lost.

Geralt huffs a laugh.

\- You did; he says in a whisper so low Jaskier has to stop breathing to hear it.

\- We agreed to disagree on that one. Do you want me to stop?

The Witcher shakes his head, his brow furrowing slightly with the effort.

\- But sometimes; Jaskier resumes; the fights were big and devastating like thunderstorms, and they would both come out of it very hurt. They would separate for a while, the lark flying away to find some more amenable company, the wolf scurrying in the bushes on its own, enjoying the peace and silence of the forest. But they'd always find each other again, because at the end of the day, they were each other's world.

Jaskier's voice cracks on the last few words, and Geralt closes his eyes with a smile, the thin skin of his lids reflecting the pale moonlight. The bard takes a second to kiss them both lightly before speaking again, his voice steadier.

\- The other animals didn't understand what they were doing together, warning the lark that he was flying to close to a monster's mouth, and that he'd end up eaten alive. But the bird knew the wolf's mouth was soft for him, that his fangs would never harm him. No matter how annoyed the wolf was. And in return, the wolf knew his wounds would always be tended to, as long as the bird was by his side, that his scars would be kissed and loved just as he was loved.

This time he can't hold back a sob, and Geralt squeezes his hand weakly, too weakly for the supernatural strength that usually thrums in his mutated body. Jaskier squeezes it back tightly, and brings it to his cheek where tears and blood have left wet trails that reflect the moon's silver light.

\- And then... What happened? asks Geralt in a choked breath.

A trembling sob escapes Jaskier's lips.

\- Then... Then they lived happily ever after, my Wolf.

**Author's Note:**

> So... yeah. I cried. Come in the comments and we'll cry together.
> 
> Also, I am looking for a beta reader, as I am writing a bigger project than what I have ever done, and I am not a native English speaker. If you have free time, good grammar and you like my writing, please tell me in the comments and we'll figure something out!


End file.
